are leading special teams of Peace Corps volunteers and local Health Ministry officers. A similar effort in Senegal is led by a WHO officer. These surveillance units are identifying pockets of acute nutritional and medical distress for special attention. Assessing Future Emergency Needs Even if there are good rains in the coming weeks and improved crop prospects, the peoples of Sahel Africa will need further major relief and rehabilitation help. In an attempt to assess these needs, FAO Director-General Boerma and I have agreed on a combined field assessment next month of the crop outlook and prospective food and seed needs for 1974. We anticipate that emergency food relief will be needed for the next 12-15 months even under the best of circumstances. Planning for Rehabilitation and Recovery Major attention appropriately has been on the immediate emergency needs of the peoples of Sahel Africa. At the same time, we are taking steps to strengthen planning for the region's recovery. There are problems of sinking wells, building reservoirs and irrigation systems to restore the livelihood of the survivors. Herds must be replaced for nomads whose lives depend on livestock. Food storage facilities, communications and other basic infrastructure also are needed. We are discussing recovery plans with officials of the drought afflicted countries, UN agencies and other donors. I have established a special task force to draw on U.S. skills, both private and public, to support African recovery planning and to design programs for U.S. assistance. This task force will work closely with U.N. planning efforts. We, of course, look to the African countries to establish recovery guidelines and priorities. In a meeting on July 23 with Minister Dakoure of Upper Voltawho is the African Coordinator for Recovery of the Sahel countries-we agreed on (a) the absolute importance of African initiatives for rehabilitation, (b) the need to redirect on-going development activities and plans in recognition of changing priorities and (c) the importance of ready and understanding additional responses from donor countries and agencies. Minister Dakoure invited me to meet next month with the Chiefs of State and Ministers of the Sahel countries when they meet in Ougadougou to coordinate their plans for recovery. American and Voluntary Agency Contributions U.S. public concern over the Sahel disaster has increased in recent weeks. One result has been an amendment in the Foreign Assistance Act in both the House and Senate, calling for authorization of $30 million for rehabilitation in the Sahel, Africa. This would be in addition to the $41,828,000 already committed by the U.S. Government for food, medicines, airlift and other transport. In addition, U.S. voluntary agencies are playing an important role in supporting emergency programs in the Sahel. They have launched public appeals for contributions. Many Black or predominately Black groups are stepping-up their activities in support of drought relief efforts. These include PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) AFRICARE, the National Office for Black Catholics, Congress of African People, National Welfare Rights Organization and African Heritage Studies Association. Catholic Relief Services, Church World Service, Medical Assistance Programs, Inc., and American Friends Service Committee are directly engaged in relief activities in Senegal, Upper Volta, Niger and Mali. The American Freedom from Hunger Foundation is collecting for the UN (FAO) Sahel Zone Trust Fund. These voluntary agency activities are expanding and others, including CARE and the World Relief Commission, are preparing to join in the emergency effort. We can take pride in the generous American response to the dire need of the peoples of Sahel, Africa. Our response has been timely and effective and has been in the great humanitarian tradition of America to help people sustain their lives in the face of catastrophic disasters beyond their control. MAURICE J. WILLIAMS, President's Special Coordinator for ATTACHMENT A-SAHEL DROUGHT ASSISTANCE Total international contributions I. Major food contributions: United States (256,000 tons cereals)'. European Economic Community (111,000 tons cereals)'_ France (70,000 tons cereals)'. Canada (26,000 tons cereals). Germany (32,000 tons cereals) China (50,000 tons cereals). Russia (10,000 tons cereals)2. Other Concessional Imports (70,000 tons cereals)2 Estimated Value of Miscellaneous Contributions of speciality foods by various bilateral and international donors-dried milk, CSM, etc___ Total food contributions---- II. Major cash contributions for disaster relief purposes: Nigeria Zaire United Nations (Sahel Zone Trust Fund). Total cash contributions___ III. Various contributions in kind: Belgium, Airlift and financing of ground transport France, Airlift and support of country budgets Federal Republic of Germany, Airlift and ground transport United Kingdom, Airlift USSR, Airlift Other, South Korea, Taiwan, USSR and several other countries have made grants up to $50,000 each to Upper Volta Estimated total contributions in kind__. Total 1 Value of food plus ocean freight plus inland transport. 2 Estimated market value. *Excludes $300,000 U.S. contribution to Sahel Trust Fund. $37, 000, 000 11, 100, 000 7, 000, 000 2,600,000 3,200,000 5, 000, 000 1,000,000 7, 000, 000 2,500,000 76, 400, 000 22, 000, 000 3,750,000 110,000 8, 290, 000 4,400,000 38,550,000 20, 000, 000 134, 950, 000 1 Major categories of which are: airlift ($2,629,000), livestock feed and medicine ($1,005,491), surface transport ($275,000) and Ambassadors' Special Fund ($161,500). TABLES SHOWING U.S. PRODUCTION, EXPORTS, IMPORTS, AND EXPORT AND IMPORT QUOTAS FOR RICE, RYE, AND WHEAT, 1963–73 Note: There is no import quota for rice. The importation of rough rice is prohibited. There is no export quota for U.S. rice. 1 Includes wheat equivalent of imported flour. This accounts for import figures higher than the import quota in 1969, 1966, and 1963. 2 On Jan. 25, 1974, the President suspended the wheat import quota until June 30, 1974. a Estimate. 4 Figure for July-November 1973. Note: There is no export quota for U.S. wheat. Source: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service. |